To launch award-winning show, Mad Men, for Prime TV we needed to create noise as it was up against other Free-To-Air (FTA) big-guns.The show was about the advertising industry so it was vital for New Zealand ad-land to talk about and watch the show.We created a fake agency, bringing the sexist and scandalous 1960’s culture of the show to life.Two of our creatives ‘resigned’ and set up the most un-PC agency in NZ. From flashy offices, to pretty secretaries and a boozy launch in a strip-club the success of this idea hinged on authenticity.The idea worked! We fooled the ad-industry into thinking the agency was real.

Once we had the industry hooked, we staged a big reveal to let people know it was a stunt publicising the launch of Mad Men.The fake agency and the reveal generated coverage in the industry press and mainstream media, set the industry’s tongues wagging and alerted the wider public to the launch of the new show.Results: PR value of $200,000 NZD and a 34% lift in channel share on launch night (double the objective).

1. Storm out • Creatives, Mitchell & Dyer, leave agency with dramatic walk out.2. Shameless self promotion• Ad-industry press release to media announcing new agency ‘Mitchell & Dyer’.• Billboard sites featuring drinking and smoking Mitchell & Dyer, positioned in key locations.

• Ads in business section of main Auckland newspaper and a major business title.3. Get flashy offices• Set up shop in Auckland's business district.4. Recruit staff• Run ads on employment websites requesting:“Secretaries under 21, photo required, no experience necessary” “Male Art Director. Must have eye for detail, but not other men.”• Fax ads to modelling agencies.

5. Hold party• Launch event for industry peers held in strip club.6. Watch the gossip grow• Interviews with media who fell for the stunt.7. Big reveal• Letter to media explaining the stunt.

We convinced the industry that the controversial ‘Mitchell & Dyer’ was a real agency. The staff heading it up even received lunch invites from industry peers congratulating them.The resulting scandal generated over $200,000 NZD of PR coverage. Coverage ran in all ad-industry titles, was picked up by the country’s only national newspaper, both Sunday newspapers, and the main Auckland newspaper as well as nation-wide radio (no mean feat with the limited NZ media spread).

The ad-industry’s tongues were set wagging, first by the fake agency then by the reveal, creating strong word-of-mouth amongst this influential target audience.Seeding the show successfully into the advertising industry saw the scandal penetrate the broader community to drive viewership:• Delivered a 24% lift in share against Prime TV channel demographic week on week.• Drove a new professional audience to trial the show with a lift of 29%.